Students from the University of Canterbury heading back to work after enjoying a barbeque lunch in Burwood Park. The students have volunteered to clear liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
Students from the University of Canterbury heading back to work after enjoying a barbeque lunch in Burwood Park. The students have volunteered to clear liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
Students from the University of Canterbury heading back to work after enjoying a barbeque lunch in Burwood Park. The students have volunteered to clear liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
Students from the University of Canterbury heading back to work after enjoying a barbeque lunch in Burwood Park. The students have volunteered to clear liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Dr Mark Quigley is a lecturer in the department of Geological Sciences at the University of Canterbury. His lecture on the Canterbury earthquake drew such interest that 600 were turned away".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Dr Mark Quigley is a lecturer in the department of Geological Sciences at the University of Canterbury. His lecture on the Canterbury earthquake drew such interest that 600 were turned away".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Dr Mark Quigley is a lecturer in the department of Geological Sciences at the University of Canterbury. His lecture on the Canterbury earthquake drew such interest that 600 were turned away".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Dr Mark Quigley is a lecturer in the department of Geological Sciences at the University of Canterbury. His lecture on the Canterbury earthquake drew such interest that 600 were turned away".
Students from the University of Canterbury heading back to work after enjoying a barbeque lunch in Burwood Park. The students have volunteered to clear liquefaction from Christchurch properties as part of the Student Volunteer Army.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Dr Mark Quigley is a lecturer in the department of Geological Sciences at the University of Canterbury. His lecture on the Canterbury earthquake drew such interest that 600 were turned away".
A PDF copy of pages 260-261 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Light Inspiration for Lyttelton'. Photos: Alan Povall
The major earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 brought to an abrupt end a process of adaptive reuse, revitalisation and gentrification that was underway in the early 20th century laneways and buildings located in the south eastern corner of the Christchurch Central Business District. Up until then, this location was seen as an exemplar of how mixed use could contribute to making the central city an attractive and viable alternative to the suburban living experience predominant in New Zealand. This thesis is the result of a comprehensive case study of this “Lichfield Lanes” area, which involved in depth interviews with business owners, observation of public meetings and examination of documents and the revitalisation research literature. Findings were that many of the factors seen to make this location successful pre-earthquakes mirror the results of similar research in other cities. These factors include: the importance of building upon historic architecture and the eclectic spaces this creates; a wide variety of uses generating street life; affordable rental levels; plus the dangers of uniformity of use brought about by focussing on business types that pay the most rent. Also critical is co-operation between businesses to create and effectively market and manage an identifiable precinct that has a coherent style and ambience that differentiates the location from competing suburban malls. In relation to the latter, a significant finding of this project was that the hospitality and retail businesses key to the success of Lichfield Lanes were not typical and could be described as quirky, bohemian, chaotic, relatively low rent, owner operated and appealing to the economically important “Creative Class” identified by Richard Florida (2002) and others. In turn, success for many of these businesses can be characterised as including psychological and social returns rather than simply conventional economic benefits. This has important implications for inner city revitalisation, as it contrasts with the traditional focus of local authorities and property developers on physical aspects and tenant profitability as measures of success. This leads on to an important conclusion from this research, which is that an almost completely inverted strategy from that applied to suburban mall development, may be most appropriate for successful inner city revitalisation. It also highlights a disconnection between the focus and processes of regulatory authorities and the outcomes and processes most acceptable to the people likely to frequent the central city. Developers are often caught in the middle of this conflicted situation. Another finding was early commitment by businesses to rebuild the case study area in the same style, but over time this waned as delay, demolition, insurance problems, political and planning uncertainty plus other issues made participation by the original owners and tenants impossible or uneconomic. In conclusion, the focus of inner city revitalisation is too often on buildings rather than the people that use them and what they now desire from the central city.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s population has grown rapidly from 3.85 million in 2000, to 5 million in 2020. Ethnic diversity has consequently increased. Territorial Authorities (TAs) undertaking statutory consultation and wider public engagement processes need to respond to increased diversity and foster inclusivity. Inclusivity is necessary to facilitate a greater understanding of TA statutory functions, as well as to encourage awareness and participation in annual planning processes, and resource management plans and consents. We examined perceptions, and experiences, of planning within the ethnic Chinese immigrant population of Christchurch. The Chinese ethnic group is a significant part of the city’s population and is in itself derived from diverse cultural and language backgrounds. We surveyed 111 members of this community, via social media and in person, to identify environmental and planning issues of concern to them. We sought to ascertain their previous engagement with planning processes and to gauge their willingness for future involvement. We also undertook a small number of semi-structured interviews with Chinese immigrants to explore their experiences with planning in more detail. Results showed only 6% of respondents had been engaged in any planning processes, despite only 20% being unwilling to participate. We analysed these responses by gender, age, visa category, and length of time resident in Christchurch. Notwithstanding the low level of reported engagement, earthquake recovery (70% of respondents) along with water quality, transport, and air quality were the most important issues of concern. However, there was a general lack of awareness of the ability to make public submissions on these and other issues, and of the statutory responsibilities of TAs. We discuss possible explanations and provide several suggestions for TAs to increase awareness and to improve engagement. This includes further research to assist in identifying the nature of barriers as well as the effectiveness of trialling different solutions.
The city of Christchurch, New Zealand, incurred significant damage due to a series of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. The city had, by the late 2010s, regained economic and social normalcy after a sustained period of rebuilding and economic recovery. Through the concerted rebuilding effort, a modern central business district (CBD) with redesigned infrastructure and amenities was developed. The Christchurch rebuild was underpinned by a commitment of urban planners to an open and connected city, including the use of innovative technologies to gather, use and share data. As was the case elsewhere, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant disruptions to social and economic life in Christchurch. Border closures, lockdowns, trading limitations and other restrictions on movement led to changes in traditional consumer behaviors and affected the retail sector’s resilience. In this study, we used CBD pedestrian traffic data gathered from various locations to predict changes in retail spending and identify recovery implications through the lens of retail resilience. We found that the COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdowns have driven a substantive change in the behavioral patterns of city users. The implications for resilient retail, sustainable policy and further research are explored.
A photograph of an installation titled 'In Your Face'. The installation is part of the LUXCITY event. Tutor: Fraser Horton
An artist's impression of the installation 'eLITE', created as part of the LUXCITY event. Tutors: Cameron Rowe, Kate Rogan
An artist's impression of the LUXCITY event. The image depicts installations on Gloucester and Colombo Streets. Student: Erica Austin
An artist's impression of the installation 'In Your Face', created as part of the LUXCITY event. Tutor: Fraser Horton
An artist's impression of the installation 'Atmosphere', created as part of the LUXCITY event. Tutor: Sue Hillery
An artist's impression of the installation 'In Your Face', created as part of the LUXCITY event. Tutor: Fraser Horton
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Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "After the recent earthquake in Christchurch, Environment Waikato has released information that shows the Waikato people are under-prepared for a natural disaster. Adrian Pittari, University of Waikato Volcanologist".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "After the recent earthquake in Christchurch, Environment Waikato has released information that shows the Waikato people are under-prepared for a natural disaster. Adrian Pittari, University of Waikato Volcanologist".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "After the recent earthquake in Christchurch, Environment Waikato has released information that shows the Waikato people are under-prepared for a natural disaster. Adrian Pittari, University of Waikato Volcanologist".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "After the recent earthquake in Christchurch, Environment Waikato has released information that shows the Waikato people are under-prepared for a natural disaster. Adrian Pittari, University of Waikato Volcanologist".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "After the recent earthquake in Christchurch, Environment Waikato has released information that shows the Waikato people are under-prepared for a natural disaster. Adrian Pittari, University of Waikato Volcanologist".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "After the recent earthquake in Christchurch, Environment Waikato has released information that shows the Waikato people are under-prepared for a natural disaster. Adrian Pittari, University of Waikato Volcanologist".
The impact of the Canterbury earthquake sequence of 2010-12 and its aftermath has been enormous. This inventory lists some of the thousands of community-led groups and initiatives across the region that have developed or evolved as a result of the quake. This inventory is the third such inventory to have been produced. The Christchurch Earthquake Activity Inventory was released by Landcare Research in May 2011, three months after the devastating 22 February 2011 earthquake. The second inventory, entitled An Inventory of Community-led Recovery Initiatives in Canterbury, was collated by Bailey Peryman and Dr Suzanne Vallance (Lincoln University) approximately one year after the February earthquake. The research for this third inventory was undertaken over a four month period from June to September 2013, and was conducted primarily through online searches.This research was undertaken with funding support from the Natural Hazards Platform and GNS, New Zealand.
Staff meet in temporary office space set up in the NZi3 building. The photographer comments, "University of Canterbury administration all fits into one building! Well, sort of. Two meeting spaces in the middle of the floor".
The old Ngaio Marsh theatre at the University of Canterbury was one of the many casualties of the earthquakes.The Student Association is encouraging people who performed on stage or helped out behind the scenes to buy a seat for the replacement Ngaio Marsh Theatre. Lynn Freeman talks with the UCSA president Sam Brosnahan about the project.